


Forever Young

by orphan_account



Category: Baccano!
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 02:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5894701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire wants candy, Firo's bored - why not rob a candy store?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever Young

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd (as usual) so sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes! Also please don't yell at me for historical inaccuracies - I tried, and it's just a fanfic for fun, I don't mean any harm or ignorance by it. 
> 
> That said, happy release of Baccano manga! I'm a few weeks late, but to celebrate here's some baby Firo and Claire inspired by the new chapters. They're so cute I can't stand it.

From above his head, Firo heard an intense rumble, and he shot up, startled, thinking that perhaps it was thundering as a sign of an imminent downpour through the holes in the ceiling of the old warehouse, sure to leave him drenched. He was met with a sky clear as day, however, and below that, swaying back in forth in the rafters, was a shock of red hair. 

"Firo, I'm hungry!" Cried the voice belonging the redhead. It figured the noise had just been Claire's stomach. For a small kid (though he was admittedly bigger than Firo) his stomach sounded like that of twelve grown men. 

A small sigh escaped from Firo's lips. Claire was  _ always  _ hungry, and always eating for that matter. Firo couldn't fathom where the food all went - Claire was as skinny as a rail. Then again, he was always moving, always fidgeting about in some way if not flipping through ceiling rafters dangerously enough to scare Firo or the Gandors half to death. 

"Can't you wait 'til lunch?"

"But…" Claire trailed off, a gust of air ruffled Firo's clothes, and suddenly Claire was right-side up  in front of him, hair seemingly not mussed from his antics. "I want candy," He concluded, grinning toothily. 

Firo frowned. "I don't think we have any candy. Berga ate all the chocolate and Luck took all the mints." It was too bad that no one ever bought hard candy, Firo thought wistfully. It lasted a lot longer than chocolate. 

Claire spun on one heel, reaching behind him to grab a surprised Firo's arm and drag him towards the entrance of the warehouse. "Doesn't mean he can't get some," he said with a smirk on his face unseen by his friend.

 

The pair zigzagged through crowded streets, Claire almost acrobatically avoiding collisions with pedestrians, street vendors, and cars. Not nearly as nimble, Firo found himself slightly out of breath by the time they arrived at the local sweets shop. Just as Firo was about to stop in front of the door, Claire pulled him past it, down past several other stores until they reached an alley. There, he dropped Firo's hand and looked him in the eyes, his own glimmering with mischief and anticipation. 

"You know the drill, right?" The redhead asked, face suddenly set determinedly. 

Eyes widening, Firo whispered "You don't have any money?" It wasn't that he was angry, or offended, or even disgusted - Firo was simply genuinely surprised. Growing up under a mafioso's care hadn't exactly set typical morals into either of their hearts, but Claire had always operated his own way regardless. 

He shook his head. "This guy has enough money as it is. Besides, rumor has it that he's working for a rival mafia family to the Gandors. His group's been given' 'em crap. So I figured, two birds with one stone, right?" Claire beamed, as though he was the most sly and intelligent person in the world for coming up with the plan. It figured Claire had an ulterior motive to robbing a candy shop, besides wanting to chew on his favorite caramels - there was almost always something behind the other boy's plans, usually something typically corrupt. However, he saw these deeds not as criminal acts but as a means to help his brothers and father figure. Firo knew they were young, and that doing something like stealing sweets from a rival group's shop was about the extent to what kind of impact they could make regarding helping the Gandor family. But they wouldn't be young forever, and Firo was both appalled and fascinated by just what exactly the limits of his friend's skills were as he continued to hone them.

 

Claire's hands rested in the pockets of his overalls as the two made their way into the store. A bell chimed overhead as they swung open the door, signaling customers' arrival. They were greeted by the aroma of chocolate and other sugary confectionaries, and an impressive display of a rainbow multitude of suckers, taffy, and licorice. A large man with a sizable mustache stood behind the counter, only nodding at the boys as means of a greeting. 

"Say, mister, what's your most popular candy? Is it the butterscotch? I bet its the butterscotch. Or maybe it's the taffy, yeah that's pretty popular around here isn't it? Saltwater taffy? But kids like the lollies too, don't they…" Eyes wide, Claire trailed off, staring transfixed at, and yet someone beyond, the glass display cases as if the candy they encased held all the secrets to the universe.

"Right now, it's our specialty chocolate. Almonds, peanuts, cashews, raisins - if you got something you want covered in our signature chocolate, we'll do it for you. Our gumdrops make good sales too. Can I interest you boys in a sample?" The man's voice was gruff, his voice conveying none of the enthusiasm nor emotions his words did, Firo noticed. He wasn't sure how he made any business at all, sounding so bored. It certainly didn't make him want to buy anything. Though, most people didn't  _ need _ to be persuaded to buy  _ candy,  _ nor would they be dissuaded by something as medial as lack of emotion in a sales pitch. 

Claire nodded eagerly, though his dark brown eyes still had the far-away look to them. Firo smiled politely at the man as he pulled a tray of small samples from under the counter - miniature chocolates, bite-sized butterscotches and caramels, and an assortment of itty-bitty chewy gumdrops. Claire's small hands immediately grabbed at the caramels, but instead of popping them into his mouth, he closed his fist around them and smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up in what appeared to be innocently, but behind the naive playfulness, his eyes had hardened with determination. To Claire, it was a challenge, and an enjoyable one. Firo couldn't help but grin as well, controlling it after a moment so as not to raise suspicion. He tucked the gumdrops he had grabbed into a pocket each, while the man was focused on his friend's proposal.

"Wanna see a magic trick?" Claire's grin broadened, bordering on manic. Without waiting for the owner to respond, Claire tossed a caramel in the air. He caught it as it spiraled downwards into his fist, flicked his wrist, and opened his palm. The candy was gone. The mustached man raised his eyebrows, and as if it prove that it really  _ was _ magic, and not a trick, the redhead shook out his sleeves. After seeing the confusion present in the man's eyes, Claire winked with his left eye, and reached behind his ear, pulling out the caramel from seemingly mid-air. Laughing, Claire popped it into his mouth, smiling around the candy as he chew. 

"That was rather impressive, young man. Where did you learn a feat like that?" A speck of awe was present behind his otherwise monotone voice, and it did not go unnoticed by Claire nor Firo. The former's eyes glinted with pride and satisfaction as he smirked. 

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

While Claire continued his magic show, making various candies that grew larger with each trick disappear, Firo appeared to be standing near the glass, hands in his pockets, watching the spectacle. He watched the owner carefully, making sure he moved only at the moments he was most transfixed by Claire. A butterscotch here, a bit of licorice there (lollipops were too large and chocolate would melt), Firo's fingers and motions were as quick as one would expect from a former pickpocket. He made sure not to take too much that his pockets were overflowing, spreading the loot out across his body - in his socks and shoes as well in his chest, front, and back pockets. With each "disappearance" of a sweet that Claire failed to return as he had the butterscotch, Firo crept closer to the door inch by inch. Not nearly as fast as his friend, Firo would need the lead when it was time for them to run. 

"And, for my final act…" Claire trailed off, drumming on the counter for emphasis. "… I will need a human volunteer," he said, nodding towards the owner. "How about you, mister? I can make you levitate."

"Make a grown man levitate? You must have real powers, kid." Bemused and spectacle, the man followed Claire's instructions for him to lie on the counter and close his eyes.

"Now, I'll count down from twenty. It's very important not to open your eyes 'til I get to zero, 'else it won't work. Ready?" The man nodded, eyes shut tight.

"Twenty." Silent footsteps towards the entrance.

"Nineteen." Creeping as quietly as a cat.

"Eighteen." Not a single rustle of fabric. Firo wondered how he did it.

…

"Three." Hands on the doorknob, ready to push. 

"Two." Bodies in position to run.

"One." The two pushed the door open, wincing as the bell chimes overhead. 

"ZERO!" They took off down the street, dashing madly, dodging  startled men and women, swerving around corners, rushing down back alleys, and darting across traffic. The echoes of the owner's frustrated bellow chased them, though not a single footstep. 

When they arrived back at their apartment complex, both were struggling to catch their breath between fits of laughter.

"Did you hear -"

"A  _ magic _ show?"

"How many -"

"Fifteen gumdrops -"

"Four licorice bits -"

"A piece of peanut brittle!"

"Six caramels -"

"I got three!"

"And five hard butterscotches -"

"Lucky!"

The thieves spilled their candy from their pockets, trading gumdrop flavors and licorice bits. Firo sucked happily on a piece of butterscotch while Claire chewed heartily on his caramels. 

"I got some mints for Luck, wanna go give them to him? Keith can have the licorice and Berga'll take anything we don't want," Claire said with a laugh.

"Let's not tell them how we got these though, they'll get mad at us for barging in on their business." Firo pointed out as they climbed the stairs to the Gandor's apartment.

 

"But where'd you get th-" Luck was cut off by Claire shoving a mint into his mouth. 

"Don't'cha you know? A magician never reveals his secrets."


End file.
